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"Subscribing to EA Access will cost $4.99 a month (or $29.99 a year), and since the program is technically in beta, only four games will initially be available: FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, Peggle 2, and Battlefield 4, "with more titles being added soon.""

I hereby offer my resignation as CEO of Electronic Arts effective with the end of our Fiscal Year 13 on March 30, 2013.

This is a tough decision, but it all comes down to accountability. The progress EA has made on transitioning to digital games and services is something Im extremely proud of. However, it currently looks like we will come in at the low end of, or slightly below, the financial guidance we issued in January, and we have fallen short of the internal operating plan we set one year ago. EAs shareholders and employees expect better and I am accountable for the miss.

I have been at the helm as EAs CEO for six years and served as COO for nearly seven years starting in 1997. I know this company well, and I care deeply about its future success. I leave knowing EA is a great company, with an enormously talented group of leaders and the strongest slate of games in the industry. I could not be more proud of our companys games, from Battlefield and FIFA, to The Simpsons: Tapped Out and Real Racing 3. We have built many great franchises that will serve the company well in FY14 and beyond. In particular, I am confident that the investments we have made in games for next-generation consoles will put EA in a strong leadership position for many years ahead.

In offering my resignation, my goal is to allow the talented leaders at EA a clean start on FY14. I look forward to working with you in the coming weeks on an effective leadership transition. Im extremely honored to have led this company and proud to have worked with all the great people at Electronic Arts.

According to a thread of the Facepunch forums (which may or may not be deleted any second depending how the Facepunch server holds up), a developer build of Crysis 2 containing the full game, multiplayer and the master key for the online authentication has been leaked, and is currently freely available from various file sharing hubs. Crysis 2 was scheduled for release on the 22nd of March.

Call it Project Mercury, and as of March 9th, call it an EA game. The epic role-playing game that won't confirmed! be called The Adventures of Curt Schilling has a home and a whole lot of mystery around it.

EA and DICE began a grand experiment in North America with Battlefield: Heroes, a free-to-play, casual shooter that would allow anyone to download the client and play for free. You could buy certain items to give yourself an edge, sure, but it was just as easy to earn in-game Valor Points (VP) to purchase weapons and widgets for use in the game. Many gamers did just this, earning VP in their regular gaming session without ever paying a dime. Others made a few purchases here and there to round out their items.

It seems gamers simply weren't spending enough money, though, as a recent price restructuring destroys the ability to play without spending real money. The cost of all items in terms of the free VP has been increased substantially, while the cost of items in "BattleFunds," which you buy with real money, has been decreased. In other words, it's now impossible to earn or keep decent equipment simply by playing; you're going to need to get out the checkbook to stay competitive on the servers.

One gamer worked out the math to figure out how much he would now have to play to earn a single super weapon. "So, 450 VP a day... at a maximum of 7 VP a game, that's 50 games a day. About 4 hours worth of playing," he explained. "Now, when you lose a round you can only get 5 VP, making the amount of rounds you need to play each day to keep ONE weapon about 60, which is about 5 hours playtime, every day, for one Uber/Super weapon." That may seem dense with in-game jargon, but the point is clear: no one but the most hardcore players will be able to use high-end weapons without paying for them.

EA has finally launched Battlefield Heroes, the free-to-play, ad-supported, cartoon online shooter. Although it missed a summer 2008 launch, the games been out in beta form for some time.

DICE designed Battlefield Heroes to be accessible to anyone, opting for cartoon visuals that can scale well on most old hardware. The game client is small and runs through the EA online website. Players can use real-world currency to purchase a variety of in-game items and bonuses, including the ability to "level up faster [or] get Valor Points (VP) faster," new clothes, "ultra exclusive limited-edition items," and special emotes.

Mod DB has announced the winners of their 7th Annual Mod of the Year Awards, which celebrate the most creatively remastered video games and game modifications.

The big prize this year goes to the creators of Project Reality, a mod for EA's Battlefield 2 game that strives to deliver the most realistic combat environment possible. The team has tweaked the game's physics, visual effects, and overall play style while adding new factions to the game. Project Reality took second place for Mod of the Year in 2006 and 2007, so this year they finally get their chance to shine.

I know Battlefield 2 is pretty much a dead horse, but this free mod can breathe some life into it once again. This Mod is not for the masses, due to the fact that it has a much higher learning curve then your classic arcade game. This is the real deal.

The suit accuses EA of "intentionally" hiding the fact Spore uses SecurROM, which it alleges is "secretly installed to the command and control center of the computer (Ring 0, or the Kernel) and [is] surreptitiously operated, overseeing function and operation of the computer, and preventing the computer from operating under certain circumstances and/or disrupting hardware operations." The suit also claims the SecurROM takes over a portion of the PC's processing resources "to transmit information back to EA."

"Electronic Arts Inc. today announced that while EA continues to have a high regard for Take-Two's creative teams and products, after careful consideration, including a management presentation and review of other due diligence materials provided by Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., EA has decided not to make a proposal to acquire Take-Two and has terminated discussions with Take-Two."

It will take a little more than the dissolution of the original developer to keep a series down. EA has announced the the return of its premier boxing franchise, 'Fight Night.' With this entry in the series FN will take the proven route with a more realistic approach to boxing as opposed to what EA appears to be trying to do with the new 'Facebreaker' game. FN: R4 will incorporate fighters past and present along with 'authentically' replicating their respective fighting styles. They're hoping the, "new physics system allows for missed punches, glancing punches, knockout blows and for the first time ever, rough and tumble inside fighting."

Apparently comfortable with the current exclusivity arrangement, EA and the NFL have extended the relationship until 2013. This means no triumphant NFL return for the 2K series among other things. Right now the only alternatives appear to be BCFE and the Euphoria based 'Backbreaker.' Supposedly the makers of the Euphoria engine were in talks with EA to try and get something done for the Madden series.

"Optimized for the PC, Mass Effect for the PC incorporates the following features:
Optimized controls designed specifically for the PC.
High resolution visuals Mass Effect for the PC features highly detailed textures, characters and environments.
Fully customizable controls PC gamers can re-map the control scheme any way they like.
Run & Gun Control Players can assign biotic powers or skills to hot keys allowing them to play Mass Effect with a heavier focus on action.
New decryption mini-game.
New inventory screen GUI and functionality The enhanced inventory system makes it easier for players to equip and modify their weapons and armor."